Bearing for centrifugal machines.



W. J. GEE.

BEARING FOB. GENTRIFUGAL MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1912.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

W I. m n

WILLKAM JOHN GEE, O15 LQNDON, ENGLAND.

BEARING- FOR CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I. YVILLIAM JOHN GEE, engineer, a subject of the King of England, residing at 48 Kingsmead road, Tulse Hill, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bearings for Centrifugal Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in flexible bearings such as are used for controlling the oscillations of the spindles of suspended centrifugal finachines and the like. It is well known that such machines which are required to rotate at relatively high speeds develop oscillating or precessional movements which require to be controlled or damped down in order to prevent the vibration thereby set up from becoming destructive or inconvenient. F or this purpose it has been the practice to use elastic buffers of rubber or similar material applied in various ways.

According to one known method of supporting the spindle a single rubber buffer is used which carries the weight of the spindle and the load and at the same time controls the. gyratory movement of the spindle. This buffer consists substantially of a conical rubber sleeve surrounding a corresponding conical portion of the spindle or housing of the bearing of the spindle. The conical buffer rests upon a corresponding conical bearing surface and is compressed by the weight of the spindle and the load carried by the spindle.

According to the present invention a single rubber buffer is used, but the compression of the material of the buffer which is required in order to obtain an effective control of the gyratory movementv of the spindle is obtained substantially by radial compression of the sleeve by means of an independent compression device. The sleeve has a prismatic or a cylindrical-inner surface and supports the spindle or housin of the spindle bearing partly by frictional contact and partly in a direct manner.

* Owing to the prismatic or cylindrical inner dependent with the load but also in accordance with surface of the sleeve no wedging action is exerted by the spindle or housing upon the buffer and the compression in the radial direction is practically entirely due to the inexternal compression device. The compression of the sleeve or buffer may therefore be adjusted not only in accordance Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

Application filed August 7, 1912. Serial no. 713,797.

other factors which in certain circumstances may be even more important than the load,

rying the invention into practice 'a cylin- I drical sleeve or buffer of rubber or the like is provided inclosing or surrounding the housing of the bearing. The sleeve is supported at its lower end by a flange on the framework supporting the bearing, the'- flange projecting inwardly under the sleeve. Suitable clearance is left on the inner edge of the said flange to allow for maximum oscillation.

The housing of the bearing is supported at its upper end by a flange projecting outwardly over the upper end of the rubber sleeve. A suitable clearance is left on the outer edge of the flange on the housing to allow for the maximum oscillation. Means are'preferably provided for compressing the rubber sleeve equally over the whole of its controlling surface so as to permit the adustment of its resiliency as well as facilitate the assembling of the parts and taking uf wear. For this purpose a sleeve of split steel, or the like, is provided which has an internal surface corresponding'to the external surface of the cylindrical rubber sleeve, but on the outside tapers inwardtoward the top. vThis tapering sleeve is in closed in a casing attached to the framework supportin the bearing, so that it can be raised in the casing by means of a screw nut at the top of the casing or in other suitable manner. 'The divided parts of the tapered sleeve allow the rubber buffer to be equally compressed as aforesaid without at any time interfering with.the perfectly cylindrical sleeve.

The spindle may rotate, in radial and thrust ball or other bearings mounted in the housing of the bearing and supported by a shape ofthe internal surface of the rubber-- flange projecting inwardly at its lower end.

In the accompanying drawings is shown a construction of the improved buffer by way of example.

Figure 1 shows in sectional elevation the complete bearing. Fig. 2 is a plan partly insection of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 show in vertical section and plan a detail view of the conical split ring for= compressing the buffer sleeve.

a represents the vertical spindle or shaft which may be carried in the usual manner ring, on the one may be by a ball bearing arranged within the casing or housing I). The ball bearings shown in the drawing sustain the weight of the spindle and the machine and also take the side pressure during oscillation. row of balls 0 serves as a thrust bearing while the upper rows d and 6 form the running bearing and keep the spindle in position Within the housing b. The parts f rotate with the spindle. The above described manner of mounting the spindle in the housing does not form part of the present invention and is well known.

The improved bufi'er forming the subject of the invention consists of a sleeve 9 of rubber or like material surrounding or inclosing the housing I). The sleeve has a cylindrical inner surface corresponding to the cylindrical outer surface of the housing and supports the latter partly by frictional contact and partly in a direct manner. The device for compressing the sleeve radially so as to cause the same to grip the housing firmly yet yieldingly consists 1n the construction shown of a split steel ring 71. having a cylin drical inner surface and an upwardly tapering outer surface. The sleeve is inclosed in an outer casing i attached to the framework 7' and PIOVldGClWlth a conical bore corresponding to the outer surface of the sleeve.

raising the sleeve in the casing by meansor in other suitable manner o a screw nut is the required radial compression of the bufler may be obtained.

As may be seen from Figs. '3 and-4 the slits m in the ring it extend alternately from the bottom edge to a point near the upper edge and vice versa. The divided parts of the tapered sleeve allow the buffer to be equally compressed. In the construction shown the housing 7) is provided with an upper flange a resting upon the top surface of the buffer sleeve, while the buffer sleeve is supported from underneath by a ring 0 fixed by bolts 1) to the underside of the outer.

casing. Sufficient clearance must of course be provided between the flange n and the adjacent stationary part, in this case the split hand and between the inner edge of the supporting ring 0 and the housing on the other hand, so as to avoid direct contact of the maximum oscillation of-the spindle.

If required the upper surface of the buffer sleeve and the under surface of the flange rounded so as to avoid entirely any vertical compression of the sleeve by the oscillatory movement of the spindle. In a similar manner the bearing surface of the ring and the bottom surface of the buffer sleeve might be described from the center of oscillation. It has howeverb'een found in practice that The lowest curved according to a circlevery satisfactory results are obtained with s i I 1 straight bearing surfaces. If it IS desired to buffer and the housing and between the bufier and the compression ring may alone beusedlfor' supporting the load. In that case it may be advisable to form the outer surface. of thehousing and the inner surface of the compression ring with horizontal or vertical or horizontal and vertical grooves or with recesses in order to increase the friction. The surface supporting the buffer ring may be formed upon the compression. ring instead of being fixed to the outer casing.

he arrangement of the compression ring in the casing may be reversed, or other suitable means for compressing the bufier sleeve may be used.

It will be understood that the improved buffer may be applied directly to a stationary spindle carrying the running spindle instead of to the housing if it is not desired to place the combined thrust and running bearing within the buffer.

The 'main advantages of the improved buffer are the equality of pressure above and below the center of oscillation and the consequent stability and the possibility of adjusting the damping action of the buffer in accordance with the particular circumstances.

I am aware that it has previously been proposed to use in a centrifugal machine an elastic buffer for the spindle or its collar composed of two or more rings separated by a loose distance piece or pieces, which rings cooperate with the spindle part alonga cylindrical surface.

I claim:

1. A resilient bearing for centrifugal machines, having a shaft support, an outer casing having a longitudinally tapered opening, a longitudinally movable tapered sleeve mounted in the opening in the outer casing, said sleeve being split in a longitudinal direction, a rubber ring engaging the inner wall of thesplit sleeve and the outer wall ofthe shaft support, and means for adjustlng the casing and sleeve relative to each other to compress the rubber ring directly in a radial direction against the shaft support; substantially as described.

2. A resilient bearing for centrifugal machines, having a shaft su port provided with a concentric outer wall, an outer casing'having a longitudinally tapered opening, a longitudinally movable tapered sleeve mounted in the opening in the outer casing,v

and the inner Wall of the split sleeve, and a nut for adjusting the split sleeve in a lonof the center of oscillation,

gitudinal direction to compress the rubber ring directly in a radial direction throughout its extent against the shaft support; substantially as described.

3. A resilient bearing for centrifugal machines, having a shaft support, an outwardly extending flange on the upper end of the shaftsupport, an outer casing having a longitudinally extending tapered opening, a longitudinally movable tapered sleeve mounted inthe opening in theouter casing, said sleeve being split longitudinally, a ruleber ring engaging the inner wall of the split sleeve and the outer wall of the shaft sup port, a supporting ring connected to the outer casing, said rubber ring being seated between the ring on the outer casing and the flange on the shaft support, and an adjusting nut on the upper end of the split sleeve for moving said sleeve in a longitudinal direction to com ress the rubber ring directly in a radial dlrection throughout its extent against the shaft support; substantially as described.

4. A resilient bearing for centrifugal machines, having a shaft support, an outer casing having a longitudinally tapered opening, a longitudinally movable tapered sleeve I mounted in the opening in the outer casing, said tapered sleeve being split at a plurality of points from the top to a point near the bottom thereof and at a plurality of points from the bottom to a point near the top thereof, the splits extending from the top being in staggered relation to the splits extending from the bottom, an elongated rubber ring engaging the inner Wall of the split sleeve and the outer Wall ofwthe shaft support, and means for moving the split sleeve in a longitudinal direction to compress the rubber ring throughout its length directly in a radial direction against the shaft support, the staggered slits in-the sleeve being arranged to give an equal radial movement to the top and bottom of the sleeve; substantially'a's described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscrlbmg wltnesses.

WILLIAM JOHN GEE. Witnesses HOWARD C. WHITE, I. J. WORTH. 

